The 215 Team
Heather Bowlan
Operations Coordinator
Heather Bowlan is a Philly native living in Germantown after time spent in London, Hawaii, LA, and Raleigh. A former editor for BOAAT Press and Raleigh Review, her poetry and criticism have appeared in the anthology Feminisms in Motion, the journals New Ohio Review, Nashville Review, Day One, Interim, the Ploughshares blog, and elsewhere. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from North Carolina State University and has received fellowships from the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and the Vermont Studio Center. Find her on Instagram @credencive or at heatherbowlan.com.
Joshua Demaree
Director
Joshua Demaree was born and raised in central Pennsylvania. He earned an MA in Visual & Critical Studies from the School of the Art Institute in Chicago and an MFA in creative nonfiction from Rutgers University-Camden. He is cofounder of Blue Stoop, a nonprofit dedicated to Philadelphia writers, and serves on their advisory board. In 2019, he was honored by Philadelphia’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy for his literary organizing work. He works as a medical editor and lives in West Philadelphia. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
Jared Michael Lowe
Programming Coordinator
Jared Michael Lowe is a writer, communications strategist and creative consultant. He’s led social media strategy and engagement for WHYY, the University of Pennsylvania and a host of media, academia and cultural arts organizations. Currently, he is the Communications Manager for the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia. His editorial work has appeared in and on NBC News, Cosmopolitan, Teen Vogue, The Huffington Post and EBONY Magazine, among others. You can follow him on Twitter via @jaredmichaelowe.
Melanie Moyer
Marketing Coordinator
Melanie Moyer is a copywriter and author native to SEPA but spent time in Phoenix, Orlando, Pittsburgh, and Toronto. Her debut novel, THE RULES OF ME, was published in 2018 through Waterton Publishing and her forthcoming speculative novel will be published in 2021 through Lanternfish Press. Her short work has appeared in Ghost Parachute, Prometheus Dreaming, Boulevard, POPSGUAR, Write Now Philly, and DIYMFA. She's assisted in writing workshops for Hidden River Arts, Montgomery County-Norristown Public Library, and Towne Booke Center. She's also an avid explorer of Philadelphia's food scene. Find her on Twitter and Instagram @MelMoy and at melaniemoyer.squarespace.com.
Alina Pleskova
Programming Coordinator
Alina Pleskova is a poet, editor, and Russian immigrant turned proud Philadelphian. Her work has been featured in American Poetry Review, Thrush, Entropy, Cosmonauts Avenue, Peach Mag, Meduza, and elsewhere. Her chapbook, What Urge Will Save Us, was published by Spooky Girlfriend Press in 2017. She is co-editor of bedfellows magazine and a founding member of the Cheburashka Collective, a group of women and nonbinary writers who are emigres/refugees from the Soviet diaspora. Find her at @nahhhlina on Twitter or alinapleskova.com.
Anju Treohan
Programming Coordinator
Anju is an emerging writer; you can find her tucked away in cozy spots across Philadelphia. She teaches story writing workshops for kids with Mighty Writers and hosts Guided Letter Writing classes independently. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School and has been developing strategic communications for corporations, small businesses and non-profits for over 15 years. A previous small-business owner, she champions our community efforts and the dreamers out there moving the big rocks on their blocks. Anju is a lover of novels, all things Philly, the sunshine on her body and the cannoli sundae at Somerset Splits.
Jeff Waxman
Programming Advisor
For almost fifteen years, Jeff Waxman has developed successful sales, marketing, and promotions campaigns on behalf of small presses, scholarly publishers, indie bookstores, and smart magazines from all over the world. Last year, he co-created The Bookstore at the End of the World and Open Borders Books, two mutual aid projects that organized communities of readers to support vulnerable populations. This year, Jeff joined The Stables as Strategic Partnerships Director, but you can still find him putting books in people’s hands with the House of SpeakEasy in New York City, grant writing and strategizing for a number of Philadelphia institutions, and leaning sociably across the counter at Wooden Shoe Books on South Street. He lives in Queen Village, less than five miles from the house where his grandfather was born.